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The Ramakrishna Mission Emblem

The Ramakrishna Mission (Bengali: রামকৃষ্ণ মিশন) is an association founded by Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple and religious leader, Swami Vivekananda on May 1, 1897. The Mission carries on missionary and philanthropic work through the combined efforts of monastic and householder disciples. The Mission, whose headquarters are near Kolkata, India, is closely affiliated with the Ramakrishna Math (monastery / monastic order). The Ramakrishna Mission emphasizes service to others as karma yoga, a concept found in Hinduism. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Ramakrishna_Emblem. ... Image File history File links Ramakrishna_Emblem. ... Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... Sri Thakur Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was a Bengali saint. ... Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: Shami Bibekanondo) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta ( Nôrendrônath Dôt-tô), was one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga and a major figure in the history of Hinduism... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... , “Calcutta” redirects here. ... Karma yoga (Sanskrit: कर्म योग), (also known as Buddhi Yoga) or the discipline of action is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Management

The Ramakrishna Mission acquired a legal status when it was registered in 1909 under Act XXI of 1860. Its management is vested in a Governing Body. Though the Mission with its branches is a distinct legal entity it is closely related to the Ramakrishna Math. The Trustees of the Math are simultaneously the members of the Governing Body. The administrative work of the Mission is mostly in the hands of the monks of Math. The Mission has its own separate funds, for which it keeps detailed accounts, audited annually by chartered accountants. The Math and the Mission both have their Headquarters at Belur Math. Monastic Order for Men Ramakrishna Math consists of monks (Sannyasins and Brahmacharins) belonging to a monastic order for men. ... The word trustee is a legal term that refers to a member of a trust, which can be set up for any of a variety of purposes, and is entrusted with the administration of property on behalf of others. ... Belur Math is a religious abbey located in the neighbourhood of Belur in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, India. ...

History

The Motto

The Mission is a registered Society laying emphasis on rendering welfare services undertaken with a spiritual outlook. The service activities are rendered looking upon all as veritable manifestation of the Divine. The Motto of the organisation is Atmano Mokshartham Jagad-hitaya Cha. Translated from Sanskrit आत्मनॊ मोक्षार्थम् जगद्धिताय च it means For one's own salvation, and for the good of the world. The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

Math and Mission

Technically, the Ramakrishna Math is a monastic order, and the Ramakrishna Mission is the part of the organization that carries on activities such as disaster relief, operation of schools and charitable hospitals, and other work. However, because the humanitarian activities of the movement are more well-known than the monastic order, and because the monks of the order perform a great deal of the humanitarian work, "Ramakrishna Mission" is popularly used to refer to both institutions.

• Note: The use of the name of Sri Ramakrishna or Swami Vivekananda by any institution does not necessarily imply that it is an affiliated branch centre of either Ramakrishna Math or Ramakrishna Mission.

Emblem of Ramakrishna Math and Mission

Designed and explained by Swami Vivekananda given in his own words: Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: Shami Bibekanondo) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta ( Nôrendrônath Dôt-tô), was one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga and a major figure in the history of Hinduism...

The wavy waters in the picture are symbolic of Karma; the lotus, of Bhakti; and the rising-sun, of Jnana. The encircling serpent is indicative of Yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti, while the swan in the picture stands for Paramatman (Supreme Self). Therefore, the idea of the picture is that by the union of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga, the vision of Paramatman is obtained.

Controversies

To a large extent, the Ramakrishna Mission has avoided controversies through its policy of non-involvement in politics. However, in a move that was highly controversial within its own ranks, the Ramakrishna Mission went to the courts in the 1980s in order to have the their organization and movement declared as a non-Hindu minority religion.^[1] According to the leadership, the mission did this purely as a matter of political necessity: there was a danger that the local government would take control of its charitable schools unless it could invoke the extra protection the Indian constitution accords to minority religions.^[2] The Supreme Court of India ruled against the Mission, citing many pages of evidence that it had all the characteristics of a Hindu organization.^[3] The wisdom of the attempt by the Mission's leadership to characterize the Mission as non-Hindu was widely questioned within the membership of the organization itself, and the leadership today embraces the Mission's status as both a Hindu organization and as an organization that emphasizes the harmony of all faiths.^[4] Most members – and even monks – of the Ramakrishna mission consider themselves Hindus, and the Mission's founding figures, such as Swami Vivekananda never disavowed Hinduism.^[5] This episode highlights the legal and constitutional discrimi­nations in India against the Hindu ma­jority, most urgently those in education and temple management. The constitutional bedrock of these discriminations is Article 30, which accords to the minorities the right to set up and administer their own schools and colleges, preserving their communal identity (through the course contents and by selectively recruiting teachers and students), all while receiving state subsidies. This same right is not guaranteed to the majority. ^[6] Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Presidents of the Ramakrishna Mission

The following is the traditionally accepted list of Presidents(spiritual heads) of the monastic order.

1. Swami Brahmananda (1901–1922)
2. Swami Shivananda (1922–1934)
3. Swami Akhandananda (1934–1937)
4. Swami Vijnanananda (1937–1938)
5. Swami Shuddhananda (1938–1939)
6. Swami Virajananda (1939–1952)
7. Swami Shankarananda (1952–1959)
8. Swami Vishuddhananda (1959–1960)
9. Swami Madhavananda (1960–1965)
10. Swami Vireshwarananda (1966–1985)
11. Swami Gambhirananda (1985–1988)
12. Swami Bhuteshananda (1988–1998)
13. Swami Ranganathananda (1998–2005)
14. Swami Gahanananda (2005–Present President of the Order)

Swami Brahmananda ( January 21, 1863 - April 10, 1922) was born in Sikra near Kolkota. ... Swami Shivananda (1854 - 1934) was born Tarak Nath Ghosal in the village of Barasat in West Bengal. ... Swami Akhandananda was the direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna and third president of the Ramakrishna Mission. ... Swami Vijnanananda (28 October 1868 - 25 April 1938) was born in Belgharia, Kolkota as Hariprasanna Chattopadhyaya. ... Born as son of Ashutosh Chakravarthy in 1872 in Kolkota, Sudhirchandra Chakravarthy joined the Alambazar monastery of the Sri Ramakrishna Math in 1897. ... Born as son of Trailokyanath Bose and Nishadkalidevi on 10th June 1873, Kalikrishna Bose was the first person to join Ramakrishna Order after direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. ... Swami Shankarananda was the 7th president of the Ramakrishna Mission from 1952 to 1959. ... Swami Vishuddhananda was the 8th president of the Ramakrishna Mission. ... Swami Madhavananda was the 9th president of the Ramakrishna Mission. ... Swami Vireshwarananda was born in Karnataka and was popularly known as Prabhu Maharaj. Disciple of holy mother Sri Sarada Devi, he was the tenth president of the Ramakrishna Mission Related Links Bhagavad Gita: With the gloss of Sridhara Swami - Swami Vireshwarananda ISBN 81-7120-402-3 Brahma Sutras: According To... Born as Jatindranath Datta in 1899, Sadhuhati in todays Bangladesh, he joined Ramakrishna Mission. ... Swami Bhuteshananda was born on 8th September 1901 at Somsar in West Bengal. ... Born on 15th December 1908 in Silwan, Trikkur, Kerala, as Shankaran, Swami Ranganathananda joined the Mysore branch of Ramakrishna Math in 1926. ... Swami Gahanananda, the 14th President of the Ramakrishna Order, was born in the village of Paharpur in Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh) in October 1916. ...

Prominent Monks

Apart from Direct disciples of Shri Ramakrishna, some of the other great monks of the order are The following are the monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Swami Abhedananda Swami Adbhutananda Swami Advaitananda Swami Akhandananda Swami Brahmananda Swami Niranjanananda Swami Premananda Swami Ramakrishnananda Swami Saradananda Swami Shivananda Swami Subodhananda Swami Trigunatitananda Swami Turiyananda Swami Vijnanananda Swami Vivekananda Swami Yogananda ...

1. Swami Adidevananda
2. Swami Ashokananda
3. Swami Budhananda
4. Swami Ghanananda
5. Swami Jagadananda
6. Swami Nikhilananda
7. Swami Nityaswarupananda
8. Swami Paramananda
9. Swami Prabhavananda
10. Swami Premeshananda
11. Swami Purushottamananda
12. Swami Shambhavananda
13. Swami Siddheshwarananda
14. Swami Tapasyananda
15. Swami Yatishwarananda
16. Swami Kirtidananda

Swami Adidevananda was born as Venkatapathi in 1912 in the earstwhile Mysore State. ... Swami Ashokananda Swami Ashokananda was born in the village of Bekitaka in the year 1893. ... Swami Ghanananda was a monk of Ramakrishna Mission, who went to Europe to spread the message of Vedanta. ... Swami Nikhilananda (1895-1973), was an initiated disciple of Sri Sarada Devi. ... Swami Nityaswarupananda (1899-1992) was a monk of Sri Ramakrishna Math. ... Swami Paramananda (1884-1940) was one of the early Indian teachers who came to the United States to spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America. ... Swami Prabhavananda was one of the senior monks at the Vedanta Society of Southern California. ... Swami Purushottamananda(1931-2005) was born in June 14, 1931 at Moodahadu, a village near Saligrama in the district of Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka as Ramachandra Bayari. ... Swami Shambhavananda was born in Halugunda village of Coorg in Karnataka, in 1894. ... Swami Siddheswarananda (1897-1957) was a respected monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. ... Swami Tapasyananda was a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. ... Categories: Stub ... Srimath Swami Kirtidananda was born as Srikantayya in an orthodox family at Bangalore on 25th June 1925. ...

Major Publications

Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... Malayalam ( ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... For the district with the same name, see Thrissur district. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ... Marathi is one of the widely spoken languages of India, and has a long literary history. ... Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union along with English. ... , Raipur   (Hindi: रायपुर) is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union along with English. ... , Indore (Marathi:इंदूर / Hindi:इन्दौर),   is the commercial capital of the Malwa region and the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ... is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the greater Indo-European language family. ... , Rajkot   (2005 pop. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union along with English. ... , For the ship, see SS Ranchi. ... Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ ) is one of the major Dravidian languages of southern India and one of the oldest languages in India. ...

References

1. ^ Koenraad Elst Who is a Hindu? (2001) [1] ISBN 8188388254
2. ^ Article 30.(1) gives them greater control over their educational institutions: “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.”
3. ^ Koenraad Elst Who is a Hindu? (2001) [2] ISBN 8188388254
4. ^ [3]
5. ^ [4]; [5]; [6]
6. ^ [7]

Who is a Hindu? is a book by Koenraad Elst published in 2001 by Voice of India. ... Who is a Hindu? is a book by Koenraad Elst published in 2001 by Voice of India. ...

See also

• Hindu reform movements
• Hindu Renaissance
• Arya Samaj
• Prathna Samaj
• Tilak Mission

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Bengal Renaissance took place throughout the nineteenth century. ... Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 - 1920), was an Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ...

Further reading

• Ram Swarup: Ramakrishna Mission in Search of a New Identity. Voice of India, Delhi 1986.

Ram Swarup (राम स्‍वरूप) (1920 - December 26, 1998) was an influential ideologue for the Hindutvamovement. ...

External links

• Official website of the Headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission
• Ramakrishan Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar Jharkhand
• Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia West Bengal
• Direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
• Is the Ramakrishna Mission Hindu? Article by Dr. Koenraad Elst
• Photos of various Ashrams, Temples, and Charitable institutions of the Ramakrishna Mission in India